Machine for making cartons.



S. M. LANGS'I'ON.

MACHINE FOR MAKING GARTONS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 190s.

am@ mw,

m Alulu d T ,.S wm W 7 y *-H w a M 7s N@ E I H 2 V 10 S 1./ ym W J HT /A 1l am m E na D..

S. M. LANGSTON.

MACHINE FOR MAKING GARTONS.

APPLIoATIoN FILED JUNI: 2. 190s.

Patented July 27, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/TNESSES S. M. LANGSTON.'

MAGHINB FOR MAKING CARTONS.

APPLIUATION Hmm JUNE 2, 190s.

Patented July 27, 1909;

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W/TNESSES A TTOHNE YS SAMUEL M.y LANGSTON, OF CAMDEN., NEW JERSEY.,

y MACHINE FOR MAKING CARTONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27,4 1.909.

Application med :une 2, isos. serial No. 436,29.

To' all 'it muy coment:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL MAoDoNALn' LANos'roN, al citizen of the United States, and a resident of Camden, in the vcounty of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Im royed Machine for Making Cartons, of which the following is a y full, clear, and exact description. Thiseinvention-relates to certain improvements in machines for making cartons, and more particularly for making that type of carton in which a strip of sheet material is bent .to form a-tube, and in which the meeting edges are secured together by a strip of tape or'the like.

' One object -of my invention is to provide means for facilitating the foldino` of the tube, so that all of the sections will be of uniform size and iso that the edges of the material will properly meet Without overlapping or leaving .an intervening space.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby the folded continuous tube may be eut into sections of uniform width Without interru ting the continuous feeding of the material through the machine to the continuously-operated rotary cutter.

A still further object is to rovide certain improvements in the-means or subdividing the material into sections.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,'forming a part of this specilication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the ligures,.and in `Whicht Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan vView thereof; Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through the left-hand end of the machine, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are transverse sections on the lines 4-4, 5-5 and 6 6, respectively, of Fig-3;

Fig. 7 is a central vertical section through the right-hand end ofthe machine as shown in Figs. 1 and 2;,and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the completed carton or bottle Wrapper as manufactured by the machine.

4The specific form of maqhine illustrated is articularly adapted for the manufacture ofliottle wrappers from corrugated paper or cellular board, and is constructed to operate in manyk particulars substantiallyvthe same as the ,machine:illustrated in United States j patent toIhom n andWilson, Number u'ly 16, 1889. The specific,

406,971, issued' machine illustrated is adapted to receive a continuous strip of material havin -creases or score lines extending longitudinay thereof, fold over the edges of the strip, bring them adjacent each other, apply adhesive .to a. strip of-tape, apply the tape to the ymeeting' edges of the strip to hold t-lie edges together, and subdivide the strip into sections 'of'uniform length.

The machine includes a mainframe 10, which may, if desired, be separable into a plurality of sections to facilitate shipment. vThe frame supports a platform or'table 11, along which the material passes from one end of the machine to the other, and also serves to support the mechanism which operatesup'on the material.

'Aty one end of the machine yis the feed table 12 onto which is delivered a continuous strip of corrugated paper or cellular lboard havin a plurality of creases or-score lines extending longitudinally thereof,- so as'to weaken it and permit of its being bent .along predetermined lines. The number of lines will depend upon "the number of sides which the completed carbon or wrapper is to have. In the present case, I have illustrated the strip subdivided by score lines into .'four separate4 sections A., B- Cand D. The

material passes onto the platform and comes betweenV oppositely-disposed folders 13 and 14 which engage with the two outermost portions A and D of the material and fold them upward substantially at right angles. Beyond the folders 13 and 14, are tWo folders 15 and 16 which receive the upturned sections A-and D of the strip and fold them down upon the sections B and C beneath the` folders.

Extending the niajor portion of the length of the machine is a belt 17, serving as a support,A and conveyer for the material.` The belt extends around a pulley 18 mounted beneath the platform 11, adjacent one end, and over a pulley 19 beneath the platform 11 at the opposite end. The pulley 18 is preferably intermediate the ends of the folders 13 and 14, and above this pulley and in engagement. With the belt are tivo holding Wheels 20 and 21, which prevent the two central sections B and C of the material from rising and causes the material to bend on the score lines. The holding wheels 20 and 21 are mounted on a shaft 22 carried. by suitable brackets on the frame of the machine, and at the end of the shaft is a gear wheel 23 intermeshing with a gear wheel 24 mounted Von -the same shaft as the pulley 18. The gear wheels 23 and 24 are of th e same s1ze,'so

` away that the holding wheels 231 and 21 rotate with the material, and aid the beltin feeding it along. vThe holding wheels serve to prevent the two central sections from rising from the belt or platform whilethey are passing but it is evident that holding wheelsannot be employed between the folders 15 and 16.

As thematerial passes between these lastmentioned holders, thefexactlirie u on which thematerial folds, may vary .slight y,so that one of the important features of my linvention, means intermediate the folders 15and 16 for holding the material in position and preventing the sections A'and D from folding along such lines, as will permit of their overlap ing. The particular means illustrated fldr limiting the minimum diameter of the tube includes a plate 25, disposed adjacent the u persurface of the sections B and g, and a apted to have the sections A and A of substantially the entire length of the rate as the last-mentioned belt.

folders 15 and 16, and is preferably held suspended by a link 26, the upper -end of which is connected to atransverse bar 27.

-The bar. is supported by suitable standards or brackets 28 upon opposite sides ofthe machine. The plate may be of any suitable material, as, for instance,'a thin'wooden board, andl is of such width as to hold the material into the innermost recesses beneath thefolders 15 -axld,- 1`6. The op ositely-disposed edges of the plate may 1f) desired, be

slightly taperedl or converged tofreduce the surface friction with the material.

The latewill be of its greatestwidth 'at the outet end of the folders 15 and 16 where it defines the exact location of the fold in the material. At the opposite end of the folders 15 and 16, vthe plate may be of slightlyv less width so as to permit the folded material to slide past the plate more readily.

Y AAs the material leaves the end of the fold-v ers, it passes beneath a second belt 29 disposed above the belt 17 and traveling at' the same l The two belts together grip the material and act as the main advancin mechanism for the material. y The belts a so serveto press in lace the adhesive tape which employe for between the folders 13 and l14,y

folded down onto said plate. The plate is securing'together the meeting edges of thesections A and B. `The belt 29 passes over a drum 30 of substantially the same size vas the drums ofthe belt 17, and adapted to, be rotated at the same speed. The lower run of thebelt is parallel with the upper run l ofthe belt 17 andpasses beneath a series ofl rollers 31 which hold the two belts ,closely adjacent each/other. The belt 29v passes over a second pulley 32, adjacent the dis'- charge end ofthe folders, and this pulley is preferably mounted-.on swinging arms 33,

,so 4that-the distance 4between, it andthe lower beltmayjbe varied. -The arms are preferably ivotedu nsuitable standards'34and vmay locked)0 in`- .position byan suitable means. `Intermediate the ends, o

to mamtainfthe belt taut, and a similar be t-tightening pulley 36 may, if desired, be employed with the lower be t.

the bea, l the upper run may, if desired, engage withy la belt-tightening pulley 35serving Disposed in any suitable position upon the l machine, is a support 37 for a roll of tape E,

and adjacent the roll is a suitable container 38 for paste, glue or other adhesive. The tape passes from the yroll. over a roller 39 immersed inthe adhesive ,and asses thence to the outer surface of the fol ed material, so as to cover the meeting edges of the .sections A andD after they leave the folder and as they pass beneath the belt 29. The belt v29 not only coperates with the belt 17 to advance the material, but it also irmly presses the tape tothe material, so that it will adhere theretc,..-;AS the folded pasted vmaterial emerges from beneath the' belt 29 at the pulley 30, it passes to the .cutting mechanism which serves to subdivide it' into sections of short tubes of the desired length.

vThe cutting mechanism is preferably .of the rotary typeand includes a rotary cutter 40, having two oppositely-disposed cutting' -blades 41. Adjacent the pulley ,19, and hav.-

ling its upper edge substantially in the plane of the u per surface of the belt 17, there is provide a-stationary knife blade 42, adapted to' coperate with the movable blades 41 for s ubdividing the material. `Thef cutter is adapted to rotate at constant speed, the

length of the sections into which the' material` is cut being varied by varying the speed at which it is advanced through the machine. The machine vis providedwitha main drive shaft 43l adjacent the cutter and motion is transmitted from the drive shaft to the cutter through intermeshing gears44 and 45, the former being on the drive shaft 43 and the latter being on the shaft 46 of the cutter.

For driving the advancing means from the drive shaft 43, .Ilprovide the mechanism shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7. This mechanism includes an arm 47 pivoted on the' drive shaft 43 and having a series of gears 48, 49 and 50 mounted on stub shafts carried by the arm. Concentric with the gear l wheel 50 andA mounted on the same shaft, I provide a pinion 51 adapted to be rigidly secured tothe gear wheel 50 and adapted to mesh with a gear wheel 52 mounted'on the' same shaft as the pulley orl drum 19. The arm is provided with a slot 53 and the frame of the machine is provided with -a stud or bolt 54 extending out through said slot. By loosening the 'nut on the bolt 54, the arm may be swung about the shaft 43 as a center and the pinion 51 may be removed and replaced by a larger or smaller one to vary theY relative rates of rotation of the gear length of time isrequired for the cutter tol wheel 52 and the drive shaft 43. The larger the pinon 51, the faster 'will the material be advanced in respect to the speed of rotation of the cutter and the longer will be the section.

VDuring the cutting action, an appreciable pass throughV the material and out of its path, so that the material may be advanced in readiness for thenext cutter blade, but

during this interval of time the belts are advancing the material continuously andthe material inthe machines commonly employed bulges up between the cutter and the drum. Ifthe material' does not straighten out again immediately after the cutis completed, the next' section removed will be somewhat shorter than the last preceding one.5 Sometimes ity will straighten out immediately and sometimes it fails to and the sections often vary considerably in length. In order to obviate this, I place the cutter closely adjacent the drum or pulley 19 and mount above-the pulley a buffer or beater for straightening outv the material. In the speciiic form shown this device comprises va rotatable member 55 polygonal in cross section and having secured to the sides thereof flexible wings or baffles 56. These extend out from one edge of each side and are so `mounted that as the member rotates the free edges of the flexible wings or battles strike or beat upon the uppersurface of the material. The distance between the device hereinafter referred to as the straightener and the cutter is preferably less than the total length of the sections yinto which the material is to be subdivided. straightener is mounted on a shaft 57 carried by swinging arms 58, so that its elevation in respectto the material maybe varied, l

and is provided with a Isuitable arm 59 extending between adjusting screws, so as to hold it in a predetermined position. The end of the shaft carries a sprocket wheel to which a chain 60 conveys motion from a sprocket wheel 61 on the shaft 46 of the cutter. As thecutter blade 41 strikes the material, it interrupts the freey lengthwise movement of the latter', and the material bulges up between the drum 30 and the The- ,out of the path of the material, so that it may advance again, the straightener `which is rotated 'at far higher. speed than the material is traveling,'immediat ely forces the material forward to remove any .bulge or curvature of 'the material between the straightener .and the drum-3()v and draws it taut. `The distance between the straightener` andthe blade'being less than the length of the section cut o from-the material the curvature in this portion will have no effect upon the length of the section. Even though the distance between the straightener and thev blade be greater than the length of the sec-- tion, the curvaturein this'space would be so slight that the variation in length would not be appreciable.

By maintaining the speed of the cutter uniform and varying the speed at which the material advances in order to vary the length of the section, more advantageous results are obtained than if the advancement be uniform'and the speed of the-cutter be varied. The cutter works to best advantage when rotated at a certain predetermined -speed and a definitey andy predeterless eiiiciently if rotated at a. higher or lower v speed. The'speedof vthe cutter may 'be held uniform at the point atwhich it operates most advantageously.

Having thus described my invention, I l

claim as new and desire to-secure by Letters Patentr A1. In a machine for folding paper and the like, the combination offolders adapted to turn the side edges of the material over above the intermediate portion, al plate above the intermediate portion of thev material and below the turn-over ed es thereof and engaging with the material in the angle of each'fold, said plate being of greatest Width adjacent the discharge end of the folders and :supported directly by the material at said end, and means for supporting the plate at the opposite end` thereof independently of the material and preventing its longitudinal` movement. A

2. A machine of the class described, comprising means for folding a strip of paper or the like to bring the oppositeI edges adjacent each other, means for advancing the folded paper including parallel belts engaging with opposite sides o the folded` material, and a straightening member adjacent the delivery In testimony whereof I llave signed my'. end of said advancing meansv and including name to this specification in vthe presence of a rotatablejblock polygonal in cross section two Subscribin witnesses.

" and flexible wings or bailesfor engagement' S MUEL M. LANGSION.

with the `materialand rotatable at a rate of Witnesses:

, speed in excess of the speedv of advancement ROBERT JENNn-rr,

of the material. v Y LEONARDO J. 

